The Future of Project Success: Investing in the Next Generation

As PMI Board members, one of our most important responsibilities is to shape the future of the project profession. That begins with investing in the next generation. Today’s students and young professionals are tomorrow’s project leaders, PMI members, certified professionals, volunteers, and chapter leaders. By engaging them early, we strengthen the profession, expand our community, and advance PMI’s purpose—to maximize project success and elevate our world.

PMI, our chapters, universities, employers, and volunteers share responsibility for helping young people discover project management, build skills, and connect learning to real-world experience. We want the next generation to view project management as both a career pathway and a life skill that helps them organize ideas, collaborate, manage change, and deliver outcomes.

The PMI Project Management Ready™ certification is an important entry point. It introduces high school and post-secondary students to project management concepts and skills, helping them enter the profession, connect with community, and gain a competitive edge.

The PMI Talent Triangle provides a framework to help aspiring project professionals develop skills for today’s evolving project profession, centered on Ways of Working, Power Skills, and Business Acumen.

As technical skills evolve rapidly, the PMI refreshed PMP® reflects real-world project dynamics and emphasizes outcomes, value, and business impact, while emphasizing AI, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement. Earning a CAPM® certification can help aspiring project professionals advance their careers and better qualify for project management roles.

Through the PMI Educational Foundation (PMIEF), PMI helps millions of young people realize their potential through project management. PMIEF partners with youth-serving nonprofits worldwide, providing project management expertise, resources, and volunteers.

PMI Chapter Student Clubs are a vital bridge between higher education and the profession. These student-led organizations provide access to mentors, networks, and practical opportunities. Student Clubs have grown into a global network of 60 chapters across 38 countries, connecting more than 5,700 students at 119 universities.

Our stance is clear: investing in the next generation is a shared responsibility. Mentorship and sponsorship are critical. Each of us can ask: How am I mentoring or opening doors for a younger person? Have I invited a student or early-career professional to a chapter meeting, networking event, or “Bring a Youth to Work” initiative? Have I helped someone see project management not just as a job title, but as a way to lead change?

We should not simply prepare young people for a job. We should prepare them to lead change. Give them a project. Give them a challenge. Offer a mentor. Provide access to AI. Give them a chance to lead.

The Board is committed to shaping the future of the project profession. As leaders, volunteers, educators, and PMI members, we have a responsibility to equip the next generation with the skills, networks, credentials, and confidence to succeed. Together, we can build the talent, community, and leadership our world needs now and in the future.

With appreciation,
Lissa Muncer, MSc, CDir, PfMP, PMP 
Chair, Strategy Oversight Committee
PMI Board of Directors